Currently, there is a myriad of decking clamps available to the installer for use in the hanging of underhung roof systems. The underhung roof systems are assembled by placing ceiling panels alongside one another in a side-by-side relationship. The edges of the panels have upstanding legs that run along the length of each panel. The legs have interlockable flanges that are sized to allow the leg of one panel to fit inside the leg of an adjacent panel such that the edges of adjacent panels overlap one another.
The panels with joined legs are hung from the ceiling support structure, which typically includes I-beams, in a perpendicular manner relative to the length of the I-beams. Each time the length of a pair of joined legs intersects with an I-beam, a decking clamp may be used to secure the panels to the I-beam.
Known decking clamps are substantially C-shaped so that the combined legs of adjacent panels, along with the flanged portion of the I-beam, may be inserted into the opening of the clamp. Each clamp includes a threaded channel through an upper portion of the clamp that is sized for receiving a bolt. Once the legs of the panels and the flanged portion of the I-beam are inside the clamp, the bolt is tightened down onto the I-beam and panels.
The C-shaped clamp may be made in a number of ways. Typically, however, the best way to make such clamps is any way which permits the manufacturer to make the clamp with the minimum number of steps in the minimum amount of time. If a manufacturer could eliminate a step in the manufacturing process, considerable expense and time could be saved so that countless more clamps could be made. Typically, decking clamps are made in a progressive die by stamping out a clamp blank similar to that shown in FIG. 1.
It is known to those skilled in the art to provide threading in the channel of the clamp. The threading is created on a portion of the clamp blank by an off-line procedure after the clamp blank is removed from the die. The threading is then used to receive and retain a corresponding threaded bolt. However, other techniques have been attempted to manufacture clamps without threading to reduce the number of stages and amount of time required to manufacture a clamp.
For example, in an attempt to eliminate the off-line threading procedure, the present inventors attempted to include an additional stage in the stamping die to create a pair of misaligned seams 20 on a clamp blank 22 as shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the clamp blank was rolled onto itself, in a manner known in the industry, to create a retention channel 24 between the two opposed sides of the clamp blank 22. By rolling the clamp blank 22, the portion of the clamp blank defined between the seams becomes bowed and defines a circumferential portion 26 of the channel as best shown in FIG. 4. A self-threading bolt (not shown) was then inserted into the channel 24 against the circumferential portion 26 of the clamp blank 22 by using a high torque drill press. As a result of driving the self-threading bolt through the channel 24, threads (not shown) were created on the channel 24 including the circumferential portion 26.
However, it was often difficult to drive the self-threading bolt into the channel 24 in an accurate and easy manner. Moreover, once the fastener had been driven into the channel, it was difficult to tighten down onto the I-Beam and panels. Also, once the decking clamp had been tapped with the self-threading fastener, the threads were permanently placed on the clamp. Thus, if the threads become damaged or misaligned, the clamp could no longer be used and must be discarded.
Therefore, there is a need in the clamp manufacturing industry for an improved clamp which may be manufactured in the fewest possible number of steps and which may be more effectively used by underhung roof installers with considerable easy.